Residential estates in Dover and Buona Vista will also be included as trial sites, says the Transport Minister.

The trial for autonomous vehicles (AVs) will be expanded beyond one-north to neighbouring areas, including the National University of Singapore, Singapore Science Park 1 and 2, Dover and Buona Vista, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Friday (Jun 23).

In a Facebook post, Mr Khaw said the trial of AVs have been taking place at one-north since July 2015 "with good results", and it is now the time to take the next step. He added that residential areas like Dover and Buona Vista will also be included as trial sites "in time to come".

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a separate press release on Friday that the new areas will add another 55km to the existing AV trial routes.

To conduct trials in the mixed-use, residential estates in Dover and Buona Vista, trial participants will first be required to demonstrate to LTA and the Traffic Police their readiness to handle more dynamic traffic environments in autonomous mode, the agency said.

"The expansion will allow the AV trial participants to experience more traffic scenarios, so the scientists and designers can improve their technology. This will bring us another step closer to our vision of a future where commuters can call for on-demand, shared AVs in their neighbourhood," the minister said.

"This will make our first- and last-mile commute more comfortable, convenient and inclusive for everyone."

He added that there is "great potential" for this technology to raise the quality of life here, and to make Singapore a smart city.